Here's What Happens If You Get Undercharged At Costco

A lot of big box retailers have great price-matching programs and generous customer service policies for customers who are overcharged or provided with the wrong item. However, customers are likely in luck if they happen to be undercharged at Costco. While this unusual situation isn't likely to happen often, it is worth considering what happens and what you should do before calling up customer service.

One such lucky customer turned to Reddit's expertise with the odd scenario and asked for advice on what should be done. The customer didn't want to be banned from the store or get into trouble for something that was a complete accident. Apparently, the customer had picked up a cart full of items, simply tapped the credit card at checkout, and proceeded to the receipt checker. Clearly neither this customer or the receipt checker looked closely at the paper itself (via Reddit).

When the credit card bill arrived, the customer noticed the Costco bill was lower than expected. Upon closer appraisal of the receipt, it was clear one of the biggest items in the cart, a Kitchen Aid mixer, had not been scanned.

The collective response on Reddit was that the customer would not be punished, especially if the story remained the same when the incident was reported. As it was, it clearly sounded like an overlooked mistake. While some thought the customer could call customer service to make things right, others thought doing anything would only hurt the cashier who missed scanning the Kitchen Aid mixer.

Most thought the Costco cashier would be reprimanded, which likely would come with a writeup. According to a comment on the Reddit thread, the writeup could have widely varying results. Several seemed to think that Costco's writeups are simply a slap on the wrist, like a demerit, and that management would essentially tell the employee to try not to make the same mistake again.

One major concern, however, was that there is reportedly a Costco policy on employees receiving a certain number of writeups in a given period. Some seemed to believe that three writeups in a month to three months could be grounds for dismissal.

So, if you find yourself undercharged, you have one of two options. You can avoid saying anything and know that you won't be punished and you are saving an employee from getting punished. Or you can call in and offer to pay for the missed item. If you do, you might want to request that the employee not be punished for the mistake. It's likely nobody wants to cost another person their job, especially over a mistake that benefits you.